Surgical suction apparatus are routinely used in surgical procedures. A typical prior art surgical suction apparatus includes a suction tube having one end connected to a suction source and the other end serving as an entrance aperture into which surgical debris is sucked to clear a surgical wound. Clogging or blocking of the surgical suction apparatus, at the entrance aperture and/or along the length of the suction tube, are major problems with the typical prior art surgical suction apparatus. Such clogging or blocking results primarily from the cohesion of relatively hard fragments of tissue bound together by fragments of soft tissue. In the course of a typical surgical procedure, there may be several occurrences of such clogging or blocking and each such blockage results in an unwanted delay of time to clear the apparatus in a situation where elapsed time is usually critical.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the surgical suction apparatus art of new and improved surgical suction apparatus overcoming the clogging or blocking problem.
There exists a further need in the surgical suction apparatus art of new and improved surgical suction apparatus for varying the size of the entrance aperture to vary the suction applied to surgical debris.
Still further, there exists a need in the surgical suction apparatus art of new and improved surgical suction apparatus for both overcoming the clogging and blocking problem and for varying the suction applied to surgical debris.
A still further problem generally present with typical prior art surgical suction apparatus is that they remain in an open condition during an entire operation including time between actual use when not in the operator's hand. Air is therefore drawn through the surgical suction apparatus at all times thereby attracting bacteria laden air to the immediate vicinity of the operation from remote corners of the operating room where other equipment and observers are sometimes present and which other equipment and observers may not have received attention during pre-operative sterilization.
Accordingly, there exists a further need in the surgical suction apparatus art of new and improved surgical suction apparatus which may be closed or shut-off during periods of non-use.